London Underground Ltd

Baroness Howells of St Davids: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What impact the adoption of the accounting requirements of Financial Reporting Standard (FRS) 15 have had on London Underground Ltd's Annual Accounts for 1999-2000.

Lord Whitty: The accounts of London Underground Ltd are prepared in accordance with the Companies Act 1985, which requires compliance with all accounting standards. Financial Reporting Standard (FRS) 15, issued by the Accounting Standards Board, became mandatory for accounting periods ending on or after 23 March 2000 and has consequently been adopted by London Underground in its accounts for the year ended 31 March 2000.
	FRS15 sets out the principles of accounting for tangible fixed assets. As well as imposing stricter rules on the allocation of overheads to capital projects, the standard requires that expenditure previously treated as renewals must now either be charged to cost of operations, or capitalised as an addition to fixed assets.
	The revised accounting policies have reduced London Underground Ltd's gross operating margin for 1999-2000 to £153.6 million (from £293.6m*), and increased its operating loss before grants to £145.2 million (from £101.2m*). These are, however, purely accounting changes. Neither affects the amount of cash available, or Government grant paid, to London Underground Ltd.
	* the amounts reported in the accounts of London Regional Transport, prepared in accordance with the LRT Act 1984, and published as part of the LT Annual Report 1999-2000, Improving London's transport, document on 28 June 2000.

Farm Attractions

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they plan to review the impact of the revised Standards of Modern Zoo Practice (published in March) on the operation of farm attractions; and when they expect such a study to be completed.

Lord Whitty: I refer the noble Baroness to the Answers I gave her on 8 May (WA 209) and 27 June (WA 72). It is still too early to assess the impact of the revised Secretary of State's Standards of Modern Zoo Practice, which came into effect on 3 April 2000.

East Sussex Trunk Roads

Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they are satisfied with the "A" road system in East Sussex.

Lord Whitty: This Government's 1998 roads review "A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England" recognised the problems on the trunk road network as a whole, including those in East Sussex. As a result of that comprehensive review, the Government are taking forward among others the A.27 Polegate Bypass scheme and two strategic multi-modal studies, one along the South Coast and one looking at access to Hastings. These studies will look at among other things the roles played by the A.21, A.27 and A.259.

East Sussex Trunk Roads

Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many miles of dual carriageway there are in East Sussex.

Lord Whitty: In total there are 24.4 kilometres of dual carriageways in East Sussex.

East Sussex Trunk Roads

Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many people were killed on the A.21 in East Sussex during 1999 and how many were (a) pedestrians; (b) cyclists; (c) passengers; and (d) drivers.

Lord Whitty: The number of people killed on the A.21 in 1999 in East Sussex in the four categories requested are listed below.
	
		
			 Category Fatal 
			 Pedestrian 0 
			 Cyclists 0 
			 Passengers 0 
			 Drivers 1 
			  
			 Total 1

East Sussex Trunk Roads

Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many people were seriously injured on the A.21 in East Sussex, for the last convenient period for which figures are available; and how many were (a) pedestrians; (b) cyclists; (c) passengers; (d) drivers.

Lord Whitty: The number of people seriously injured on the A.21 in East Sussex between July 1997 to June 2000, the last convenient period for which figures are available in the categories requested, are listed below.
	
		
			 July 1997 to June 1990 Category Serious 
			 Pedestrian 10 
			 Cyclists 1 
			 Passengers 13 
			 Drivers 37 
			  
			 Total 61

UK Bathing Waters

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their response to the action taken by the European Commission in the European Court of Justice against the Government for their alleged failure to ensure compliance with the minimum pollution levels set down in the bathing water quality directive.

Lord Whitty: The Government are committed to improving the quality of UK bathing waters and have explained to the Commission the measures in hand to increase compliance against the bathing water directive standards. Progress is being made and in 1999 the UK had its best results ever, achieving 91 per cent compliance with the mandatory coliform standards. We have set a target to ensure at least 97 per cent of English bathing waters meet the mandatory coliform standards by the 2005 bathing season.

UK Bathing Waters

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many British beaches have been named by the European Commission as failing to meet European Union bathing water standards in 1998, 1999 and 2000.

Lord Whitty: In its annual report on the quality of bathing waters the European Commission named 56 and 47 UK beaches as failing to meet the bathing water standards in the years 1998 and 1999 respectively. The report for the 2000-bathing season is not yet available, although reports detailing past results can be found in the Library. The annual European Commission report is based on monitoring undertaken by the national authorities.

European Council, Biarritz

Lord Faulkner of Worcester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will report on the outcome of the informal European Council in Biarritz.

Baroness Jay of Paddington: The Informal European Council in Biarritz on 13-14 October was attended by my right honourable friend the Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary and the Minister of State at the Foreign Office.
	This informal European Council was asked to take stock of progress of the Inter-Governmental Conference on treaty change. It was inevitably overshadowed by the violence in the Middle East. The European Council issued an appeal to both sides to end the violence and return to the conference table. The Foreign Secretary, who had been in the Middle East, reported to his colleagues on his discussions in the region. Collectively, and individually, the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary and other European leaders were actively engaged behind the scenes at the European Council in trying to create the conditions in which the Sharm-el-Sheikh Summit could take place. The European Council asked Mr Solana to return to the region: he will be representing the European Union at Sharm-el-Sheikh.
	Members of the European Council also held a meeting with President Kostunica of Serbia. The European Union played a prominent role in pressurising the Milosevic regime. Its defeat represents a significant victory for democracy, not only in Serbia but throughout the Balkans and for Europe as a whole. The purpose of Saturday's meeting between EU Heads of Government and President Kostunica was to reaffirm our support for Serbian democracy. The European Council decided to make available 200 million euros of emergency aid for Serbia on top of the measures which were announced at the General Affairs Council on 9 October.
	As far as the Inter-Governmental Conference was concerned, this was not a summit at which decisions were to be taken. Political progress was, however, made towards the agreement which we want to see reached at the Nice summit in December. That summit will pave the way to the enlargement which has long been the objective of successive British Governments.
	On the detail of these negotiations, my right honourable friend the Prime Minister made clear our support for the extension of majority voting in the areas where this will benefit Britain--for example by enhancing the efficiency of the single market as well as the economic reform which we have, with others, consistently sought--while making clear that these areas did not include tax or social security.
	The European Council agreed that there was a role for enhanced co-operation in an enlarged European Union. In other words, there is scope for some member states moving ahead on certain policies faster than others but these so-called enhanced co-operations must not lead to the creation of a hard core grouping, must be genuinely open to all and must not undermine the existing policies of the Union, especially the single market. If these conditions are satisfied, the Government believe that enhanced co-operation can be useful in advancing the British agenda, for example in co-operation in common foreign and security policy within the framework of agreed policies and in co-operation in the fight against international crime and terrorism.
	In this negotiation, Britian has a significant interest in seeing a reweighting of votes so that the position of the larger member states, which has deteriorated in relative terms with successive enlargements, is improved. That is also a necessary outcome of the negotiation if we are to agree to a reduction in the size of the Commission. This issue is sometimes seen as one in which the larger member states and the small member states have opposing interests. We believe it should be possible to reach an agreement which meets the interests of all.
	The Charter of Rights so ably negotiated by my noble and learned friend Lord Goldsmith was discussed by Heads of Government, who agreed that it should be adopted at the Nice European Council as a purely political declaration. It creates no legal obligations. It also sets out in a clear way a range of rights, freedoms and principles recognised within the EU which the EU institutions--the primary addressees--should respect when going about their daily business. It applies to member states only to the limited extent that they are implementing Union-wide laws. It has no application where national governments are acting purely within their own areas of national competence.

School Uniform for Girls

Baroness Uddin: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their policy on the wearing of trousers by girls in primary schools; and
	Whether preventing girls from wearing trousers in schools constitutes a breach of equal opportunities or human rights legislation.

Baroness Blackstone: It is up to school governors to decide on school uniform or dress code policies in the light of relevant legislation, and to defend those policies locally.

Disability Benefits: Take-up

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Answer by the Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 27 September, by what amounts they estimate that disability benefits and the income support entitlements of frail elderly people went unclaimed in the year 1998-99.

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: There are no estimates of take-up rates for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Attendance Allowance (AA) for 1998-99. However, the number of people receiving Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance continues to increase, as the table indicates. In addition we expect take-up of benefits to increase, as a result of the Minimum Income Guarantee campaign, ONE, and the Incapacity Benefit Keeping in Touch project.
	
		
			 People receiving DLA or AA (thousands) Percentage increase 
			 DLA February 1997 1,853  
			 DLA February 2000 2,110 14 
			 AA February 1997 1,166  
			 AA February 2000 1,242 7 
		
	
	The Minimum Income Guarantee will help the poorest pensioners. A single pensioner will now be at least £280 a year better off than in April 1999. Around 1.5 million pensioners are already gaining. We estimate some 500,000 pensioners have not yet claimed the Minimum Income Guarantee, so the Government have launched a national take-up campaign to encourage them to claim.
	Source: DSS 5 per cent sample data.

Employment Appeal Tribunals

Lord Christopher: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many appeals have been decided by the English and Scottish Employment Appeal Tribunals for each year during the past five years.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: Period England/Wales Scotland Total 
			 1995-96 1,330 110 1,440 
			 1996-97 1,419 82 1,501 
			 1997-98 1,266 92 1,358 
			 1998-99 1,240 83 1,323 
			 1999-2000 1,264 70 1,334 
		
	
	Number of appeals disposed of by financial year and geographical location.
	Source: Employment Tribunals Service

Employment Appeal Tribunals

Lord Christopher: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What has been the average annual period of time within which appeals have been determined by the English and Scottish Employment Appeal Tribunals during each of the last five years.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: Hearing Type July 1996 July 1997 July 1998 July 1999 July 2000 
			 Prelim (1) -- -- 4 4 6 
			 Full 8 5 6 8 12 
		
	
	Average length of time (in months) from receipt of the appeal to date of hearing for appeals at the end of each judicial year--England and Wales
	(1) Figures for the length of time taken to reach a preliminary hearing are not available for 1996 and 1997.
	The Employment Tribunals Service does not hold the information requested on the average periods of time in which appeals are determined. However, the above table is an indication of the length of time at the end of each judicial year that appeals were taking from receipt until a preliminary hearing and, where required, a full hearing.
	Due to the smaller number of appeals dealt with in Scotland, the average length of time taken for cases to reach a full hearing is four months. It is not the practice of the Employment Appeal Tribunal in Scotland to hold preliminary hearings.

Employment Appeal Tribunals

Lord Christopher: asked her Majesty's Government:
	What period of time they consider to be reasonable within which the Employment Appeal Tribunals should determine appeals.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The Employment Appeal Tribunal seeks to ensure that appeals will come either to a preliminary or a full hearing within four and eight months respectively. However, due to the complexity of individual appeals and the need for proper judicial consideration, it is not possible to ensure specific periods of time are achieved in individual cases if justice is to be done.

Forest Enterprise: Softwood Thinnings

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will instruct Forest Enterprise to take full account of the interests of private forest producers when deciding the size of their own annual production of softwood thinnings and setting acceptable prices for it.

Baroness Hayman: Forest Enterprise already takes account of the interests of private forest producers when deciding the size of its own annual production. By publishing annual timber production targets, which are based on long term production forecasts, it helps to bring confidence and stability to the market, benefiting processors and growers alike. The prices obtained for the timber are set by the market, not by Forest Enterprise, as they are strongly linked to the prices of imported timber. This is because the United Kingdom imports about 85 per cent of its timber requirements. If Forest Enterprise was not prepared to sell its timber at a competitive price, end users would simply switch to buying imported timber.

Owner Occupied Houses: Prices, Depreciation & RPI

Lord Jacobs: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What the retail price index would be, excluding mortgage interest payments (RPIX) in August if the depreciation component of the RPI for owner occupied houses had been introduced in 1950 based upon a rate of inflation since 1950 of 2,000 per cent and an increase in house prices of 4,750 per cent.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter to Lord Jacobs from the National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales, Office for National Statistics, Mr Len Cook, dated 16 October 2000.
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary Question, which asks what the Retail Price Index would be, excluding mortgage interest payments (RPIX) in August if the depreciation component of the RPI for owner occupied houses had been introduced in 1950 based upon a rate of inflation since 1950 of 2,000 per cent and an increase in house prices of 4,750 per cent.
	The historical RPIX series cannot be recalculated with the addition of depreciation as the index would have to be re-weighted for all years and this could only be undertaken at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Cars

Lord Hoyle: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What advice is given to government departments in relation to the purchase of cars; and
	How government departments dispose of cars after use.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: No specific guidance is issued to government departments concerning the purchase and disposal of vehicles. Individual departments are responsible for taking decisions on the purchase and disposal of goods, taking into account the Government's policy of securing value for money.

Public Expenditure

Lord Shore of Stepney: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What has been the annual increase in real terms in total public expenditure in £ millions and in percentage terms in every year since 1996-97; and what is now the proposed total spending and percentage increase for each year up to the end of the period covered by the Comprehensive Spending Review.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The table below gives the information requested, based on the most recently published figures.
	
		Total Managed Expenditure and Annual Increases in Real Terms(2)
		
			  Total Managed Expenditure Real Terms (£ billion) Annual Increase/Decrease (£ billion) Percentage Increase/Decrease 
			 1996-97 343.0 
			 1997-98 340.7 -2.3 -0.7 
			 1998-99 339.4 -1.3 -0.4 
			 1999-2000(3) 341.5 2.1 0.6 
			 2000-01(4) 363.5 22 6 
			 2001-02 374.9 11.4 3° 
			 2002-03 386.7 11.8 3° 
			 2003-04 399.2 12.5 3° 
		
	
	(2) At 1999-2000 prices, using GDP deflators consistent with the ONS June 2000 National Accounts first release.
	(3) Provisional outturn.
	(4) Plans revised in the Spending Review 2000 include a carry forward of underspend on 1999-2000 plans.

Life Expectancy

Lord Shore of Stepney: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the life expectancy at birth, of men and women separately, of those born in the United Kingdom in 1999-2000; and what were the comparable estimates in each decade since 1940.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: In order to calculate life expectancy at birth of those born since 1940 it is necessary to make assumptions about future mortality, as those cohorts will not yet have all died. For section (a) of the table below, actual mortality between 1940 and 1999 (the latest year for which population estimates and deaths by age are available) has been used together with projected mortality thereafter from the 1998-based national population projections made by the Government Actuary's Department. In section (b), life expectancy has been calculated from the mortality rates experienced in the years shown only. It is these "period" figures that are most commonly published.
	
		Life Expectancy at birth in the United Kingdom (a) Born in(5) 
		
			  1940-41 1950-51 1960-61 1970-71 1980-81 1990-91 1999-2000 
			 Males 70.7 75.2 76.7 77.7 78.6 79.3 79.6 
			 Females 76.6 80.2 81.5 82.2 83.0 83.5 83.8 
		
	
	
		(b) Based on the mortality rates in the years:
		
			  1940-41 1950-51 1960-61 1970-71 1980-81 1990-91 1998-1999 
			 Males 58.4 65.8 67.8 68.9 70.7 73.0 75.0 
			 Females 63.5 70.4 73.6 75.2 76.7 78.6 79.8 
		
	
	(5) Calculated using historical mortality to 1999 and the mortality assumptions from the 1998-based national population projections thereafter.

Firearms Consultative Committee

Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will list the current members of the Firearms Consultative Committee, indicating in respect of each member the date of appointment and previous relevant experience and expertise.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: Details of the current membership of the Committee and the areas from which they derive the knowledge and experience of the matters listed in section 22(1) of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988 are set out below. All appointments took effect from 7 September.
	
		
			   
			 Mr David Penn (Chairman) Imperial War Museum 
			 Mr Brian Carter Firearms Consultant. Gun Trade Association and Shooting Sports Trust 
			 Col Sandy Ewing Former Chief Executive, National Rifle Association, former army Colonel 
			 Mr Bill Harriman Head of Firearms, British Association for Shooting and Conservation 
			 Mr James Hart Assistant Commissioner, City of London Police, Chair of Association of Chief Police Officers Sub-Committee on Firearms Licensing 
			 Lt Col John Hoare Secretary, National Small-Bore Rifle Association 
			 Mr Mike Lobb Firearms Licensing Officer 
			 Mrs Gill Mashall-Andrews Gun Control Network 
			 Mr Davie McCrone Deputy Chief Constable, Greater Manchester Police. Chair of the Association of Chief Police Officers Sub-Committee on the Criminal Use of Firearms 
			 Mr Kenneth McInnes Assistant Chief Constable, Fife Constabulary 
			 Mr Kevin O'Callahan Forensic Science Service 
			 Mr Bob Pitcher Proof Master, London Proof House 
			 Mr Roger Sanbrook Head of Firearms Policy Unit, HM Customs & Excise 
			 Mr Mark Scoggins Solicitor. Represented BSSC during Lord Cullen's Inquiry 
			 Prof Jonathan Shepherd Victim Support. Surgeon specialising in firearms wound ballistics 
			 Dr Stephen Smith Technical adviser, National Farmers Union 
			 Mr Ian Sneddon Head of Police Division, Scottish Executive 
			 Mr Graham Widdecombe Policing and Crime Reduction Group, Home Office 
			 Mr Arthur Winnington Farmer and Magistrate.

Mr Mohamed Lodhi

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why they considered it appropriate to entertain a request for the extradition to the United Arab Emirates of Mr Mohamed Lodhi, who has been convicted there in absentia on charges which carry the death penalty.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The request for Mr Mohamed Lodhi's extradition for drugs offences was made under the provisions of the Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances ("the Vienna Convention") to which both the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates are signatories.
	As Mr Lodhi currently has an application for habeas corpus outstanding, the case is sub judice, and it would not be appropriate for me to comment on the substance of the case.
	If the case clears all the judicial stages, it will return to the Home Office for a decision on surrender. At that stage the case will be considered in the round, taking all relevant factors into account.

Voters' Rights

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they consider it a basic human right for a voter to have the ability to join the political party of his or her choice.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: It would be for the domestic courts, and ultimately the Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, to decide in the circumstances of a particular case, and in the light of the European Convention on Human Rights, whether the Convention rights of a voter prevented from joining the political party of his or her choice had been violated.

Strikes and Demonstrations: Use of Armed Forces

Lord Mason of Barnsley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	On how many occasions since 1945 they have called upon the armed forces to assist in maintaining law and order and to protect essential services during national strikes and national demonstrations, giving the dates, the reasons for the call out during each stoppage, the duration of each stoppage and the estimated cost of each operation.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The armed forces have not been called upon since 1945 to assist in maintaining law and order during national strikes and national demonstrations. They have, however, been called upon on a number of occasions to ensure that emergency services are maintained at essential levels during industrial disputes. The last occasion when this happened was in 1998 during industrial action by the Essex Fire Brigade.
	The further information requested is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Traffic Wardens' Functions

Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether consideration is being given to the use of traffic wardens to enforce moving traffic offences; and when they expect to announce fresh proposals.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Government have no plans to extend the functions of traffic wardens to involve the enforcement of moving traffic offences.

AIDS and the Use of Condoms

Lord Shore of Stepney: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What research has been done, in the United Kingdom and the United States, into the efficacy of condoms in preventing the spread of the AIDS virus; and what have been the main findings.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Individual research studies 1 and meta-analysis 2 of similar studies have been carried out in both the United Kingdom and the United States. These indicate that, when used appropriately, CE/Kite-marked condoms significantly reduce the risk of transmission of HIV (the virus that causes AIDS).
	1 N Engl J Med 1994; 331: 341-6
	2 Soc.Sci.Med 1993; 36: 1635-1644

Smoking and Food Preparation and Consumption

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What proposals they have to encourage the catering trade to prohibit smoking in areas where food is prepared and consumed.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Current food hygiene legislation prohibits smoking in food preparation areas in all commercial food businesses, including caterers.
	This long-standing legal restriction reflects the risk to food safety from the transfer of harmful bacteria from a handler's mouth or nose onto the food he or she is preparing. This requirement, and the reasons for it, is reinforced through instruction and/or training which food handlers are required to undertake to ensure that they handle food safely.
	The issue of whether or not smoking should be banned in areas where food is consumed is a matter for individual business managers and proprietors. In recent years there has been a strong move towards the provision of no smoking areas and smoking bans in many food businesses to reflect changes in customer attitudes towards passive smoking and personal preferences.

Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will list the date of onset, the age of onset, and (where applicable) the age at death of all those who have been diagnosed as having vCJD, or having died of vCJD, or are suspected of having vCJD, and who are included in the latest statistical release on vCJD.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: A table showing date of onset, age of onset and (where applicable) the age at death of all patients diagnosed as having confirmed or probable variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) known to the National CJD Surveillance Unit is set out as follows. This reflects the position as at 5 October 2000.
	
		
			 Date of onset Age at onset Age at death (where applicable) 
			 Jun-94 18 19 
			 Mar-94 16 19 
			 Jan-95 29 30 
			 Aug-94 28 30 
			 Mar-95 28 29 
			 Dec-94 28 29 
			 Feb-94 28 29 
			 Jul-94 39 41 
			 Aug-95 30 31 
			 Jan-95 19 20 
			 Jan-94 48 50 
			 Jan-95 28 30 
			 Jul-95 34 35 
			 Dec-95 18 19 
			 Jan-96 32 34 
			 Dec-95 24 25 
			 Oct-95 34 36 
			 Jan-96 22 23 
			 Mar-96 18 19 
			 Nov-96 26 27 
			 May-96 21 24 
			 Mar-96 21 23 
			 Mar-96 22 24 
			 Dec-94 26 28 
			 Oct-96 35 36 
			 Dec-96 18 20 
			 Dec-96 14 17 
			 Sep-95 31 33 
			 Feb-97 52 53 
			 Jul-97 17 18 
			 Oct-97 33 35 
			 May-96 43 45 
			 Nov-97 19 20 
			 Jul-97 24 25 
			 Jul-97 35 36 
			 Nov-97 25 26 
			 May-98 20 20 
			 Nov-97 38 39 
			 Dec-97 15 17 
			 Mar-98 20 21 
			 Dec-97 24 25 
			 Feb-98 24 26 
			 Jan-98 22 23 
			 May-98 39 39 
			 Aug-97 28 29 
			 Mar-97 18 21 
			 Dec-97 23 24 
			 Feb-98 50 51 
			 Oct-97 27 28 
			 Jul-98 24 25 
			 Jun-98 15 17 
			 Apr-98 41 41 
			 Jun-98 24 25 
			 Jul-98 12 Alive 
			 Sep-98 16 17 
			 May-98 32 33 
			 Jan-99 29 29 
			 Jan-99 53 54 
			 Jun-99 42 43 
			 Apr-99 14 15 
			 Feb-99 33 34 
			 Apr-99 26 27 
			 Sep-98 15 17 
			 Mar-99 18 20 
			 Oct-98 28 30 
			 May-99 32 33 
			 Apr-99 21 22 
			 Jun-99 36 37 
			 May-99 25 25 
			 Jul-98 22 24 
			 May-99 30 31 
			 Apr-99 18 19 
			 Dec-99 26 Alive 
			 Nov-99 23 24 
			 Jul-99 50 51 
			 Jul-99 15 Alive 
			 Nov-99 29 Alive 
			 Aug-99 37 37 
			 Jan-00 24 25 
			 Oct-99 31 31 
			 Oct-99 27 28 
			 Aug-99 20 Alive 
			 Dec-99 27 28 
			 Jan-00 20 Alive

Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether anyone diagnosed with vCJD has other than Met-Met at Codon 129 of the prion gene.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: All definite and probable cases of vCJD reported by the National CJD Surveillance Unit have been found to be methionine/methionine homozygous at codon 129 for the prion protein.

Degenerative Diseases: Research Expenditure

Lord Elton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	For each of the last five years for which figures are available, how many deaths were recorded respectively in England, Wales and Northern Ireland as the result of (a) multiple sclerosis, (b) CJD, and (c) AIDS; what was the total amount of expenditure by the Government in the United Kingdom on research into the identification, treatment, prevention and cure of these diseases; and what were the criteria on which this expenditure was allocated.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Number of deaths
	The figures for deaths from Multiple Sclerosis, CJD and AIDS in Northern Ireland and Wales are the responsibility of the devolved administrations.
	Multiple Sclerosis
	The following are numbers of deaths for England where the underlying cause of death was multiple sclerosis. (International Classification of Diseases code 340, Ninth revision.)
	Deaths are for usual residents of England and do not include deaths of non-residents.
	
		
			 Year of death England 
			 1995 638 
			 1996 701 
			 1997 660 
			 1998 698 
			 1999 721 
		
	
	CJD
	The number of deaths for England over the last five years is*:
	
		
			 Year England 
			 1996 51 
			 1997 67 
			 1998 74 
			 1999 63 
			 2000 43 
		
	
	*confirmed and probable cases
	AIDS
	The number of deaths for England over the last five years recorded by the Public Health Laboratory Service in England due to HIV/AIDS*
	
		
			 Year of death England 
			 1996 1,236 
			 1997 571 
			 1998 419 
			 1999 363 
			 2000¡ 145 
		
	
	*Includes AIDS deaths and deaths without reported AIDS (in those known to be HIV infected).
	(6)Reported in the first two quarters of the year. Numbers, particularly for recent years, will rise as further reports are received.
	Research
	
		The figures are (£million): 
		
			 Year Multiple Sclerosis(7) TSEs [including CJD](8) AIDS(9) 
			 1990-2000 £1.425m £31.5m £20.4m 
			 1998-99 £0.77m £21.8m £16.2m 
			 1997-98 £0.783m £16.2m £15.4m 
			 1996-97 £0.172m £10.8m £19.5m 
			 1995-96 £0.095m £10.0m £20.6m 
		
	
	The Multiple Sclerosis (MS) figure includes spend on basic work on a whole range of autoimmune disease, one of which is MS.
	The AIDS figure consists of the spend in both the UK and overseas and both basic and applied research in the area.
	Criteria on which this expenditure was allocated:
	Decisions on research expenditure in these areas were made on the basis of the priorities of the individual government department or research council involved in the three areas and in relation to the quality of research proposals received.
	Footnote:
	1. Department of Health and Medical Research Council (MRC) expenditure.
	2. MAFF (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries & Food), BBSRC (Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council), MRC, Department of Health expenditure including Scottish Office Contribution to Surveillance to CJD Unit.
	3. Department of Health, Scottish Office, Welsh Office, MRC and other research councils.